www.CostaRicaTicas.com

The news that many ex-pats have been waiting for . Hopefully it will be more of a true Wal-Mart rather than a larger Hipermas

From todays Inside Costa Rica:

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

It is four blocks from my apt and should royally f-up an already rough traffice intersection.

BKTUNA
I like blue light specials not yellow dot ones

Bktuna: I've been wanting to mention this for some time but keep forgetting. Off subject, but a few months ago I was stuck in rush hour traffic here in St. Louis and the SUV in front of me had a personalized plate: BKTUNA. I think it was a Missouri plate, maybe IL, but we're inching along and I keep staring at the damn plate trying to figure out where in the hell have I seen that name before. It finally hit me! Wile Coyote

Wow,

I thought I was th only one. BK are my first two initials and TUNA is a nickname from my college basketball coach.

BKTUNA
I am never going home

If Wal-Mart does to SJ what it did to my hometown, we can look for a LOT of empty retail space to open up as the mom/pop shops close because they can't compete with the "Gringo Giant".

While that certainly may happen in Costa Rica I believe there are some mitigating factors. The population of CR is not as mobile as they are in the US. I know it is hard to imagine, when one looks at the traffic jams, but the majority of Ticos depend on taxis and buses to get about. When you add the cost of a taxi to and from the low prices rise. The mom and pop operation (pulperias) are alive and well in CR neighborhoods despite the super mercados (Mas x Menos, Auto Mercado, etc.) intrusion. In the pulperia you can buy 2 eggs instead of a carton, a single cigarette rather than a pack, etc., you may if an established customer get credit until payday, this makes them the live blood of the barrios.

Wal-Mart may become the store of choice for the mobile middle class but not likely for the majority of Ticos who are in the lower economic sphere.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

HIPERMAS

Sheesh...

Well, if it's really going to happen they are going to have to hand out free NASCAR hats and Tshirts to the first 25,000 or so patrons (all shirts must be a size too small of course) so after a few weeks it will have the true Wal Mart "feel"

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Maboman
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I like my women just like my coffee...100% colombian!

Update in today's Inside Costa Rica:
Wal-Mart On The Offensive
The giant U.S. retailer Wal-Mart is getting ready to open its two new superstores by mid-July, ushering a new era in retailing in Costa Rica.

The two new stores located in Escazú and Cartago will have the name "Hipermas" on the outside, but Wal-Mart Costa Rica officials assures that the inside will be similar to the megastores in the United States. When plans were announced for the megastores or "hipermercados" in Spanish, the company had said it would brand the stores with its trademark. However, as the stores are close to opening, company officials have decided to keep the local brand name.

In its aggressive marketing style, Wal-Mart had decided to exploit the established trade names "Mas x Menos, Palí and Hipermas" for their familiarity in the Costa Rican retail market. The two new stores, each comprising 30.000 square metres (332,900 square feet) are the largest retail stores in the country, costing some us$30 million dollars and employing 1.200 people directly and another 7.900 indirectly.

Inside the stores, consumers will be able to find brand names and items that were not available before and at lower prices than competing retailers. The objective of Wal-Mart is to offer the lowest prices in the marketplace, similar to its practices in other countries. One of the challenges facing the company was to standardize procedures in the five Latin countries that make up the group. To achieve the goal, the group created a board of directors made up of local, regional and international partners, who all report to Ingancio Pérez, who was appointed president of CEO.

Pérez was in charge of Wal-Mart operations in Mexico and Argentina and now will united the five countries of Central America - Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador that make up the group with the purchase of Corporación de Supermercados Unidos and La Fragua, in 2005. Unidos, founded in Costa Rica and La Frauga were two companies that made up the Central American Retail Holding Company of which Wal-Mart bought a 51% share.

Through a system called Global Procurement which was created by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. in 2002, the company manages the import business and factory direct purchasing, identifying new suppliers, sourcing new prodcuts and building partnerships with existing suppliers, managing the global supply chain, allowing Wal-Mart tremendous purchasing power.

Pérez said that in keeping with company policy, Wal-Mart expects to buy us$300 million dollars from local suppliers this year. Some brand names that can only be found in Wal-Mart (and Hipermas, Mas x Menos) stores are: Durabrand, Konka, Brittany, Ol'Roy, Simply Basci and Athletic Works.

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You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

It'll be interesting to see their prices on appliances for example. The import duties are steep here. On the other hand if you do the 6 hr. drive to Golfito (each way) to the duty free zone, prices are great. I saved $1200.00 alone on my stove. Anyone interested in this PM me. Flyboy

YO Daddy Warbuck Walton:

Damn.....finally a big W in SJ. Old circus doesn't like to brag but I've got 5 shares of Walmart stock. Shit now that they are opening up another one I might just have to double my portfolio. Hell, I'll be living the good life if this keeps up. Unless I splurge and buy some new tie downs for for old trailer and replace the two bald tires on the rear of my pick-up.

Any of you need any stock advice, do not hesitate to call.

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Damn if I'm going to repeat this shit again. I need a drink.
I've been drinking vodka every day for 45 years and I have certainly never found it to be habit forming.

Circus Wrote:



I haven't seen CCI listed on NYSE yet. When is it going public, and what will it open at?

Steve - Santas Bro

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It's not the size of the wand that put the rabbit in the hat, it's the magic in it!!!

SantasBro wrote:

Must be on the NASDAQ….

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"It takes a lot of good beer to make a great wine"

I've been dreading this. The roads in Escazu are already horribly clogged with traffic. When this opens, every tico in the country will be adding to the bottleneck. I might just have to move.

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http://TipsCostaRica.com for pratical advice on living in Costa Rica.
In order to write about life, first you must live it! - E. Hemingway.

YO Investors:

CCI hopes to be on the penny stock list after we obtain required licenses and tax ID. Hell, I've tried several offshore addresses but keep getting my application returned. They wouldn't even accept Idems address which is a downer since my partner DonPapi hangs there every week. We were in hopes that they would so we could deduct his frequent "business" visits on our tax return. My "crack" staff is working on it.

Thank you for your interest.

Circus, CEO...CCI

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Damn if I'm going to repeat this shit again. I need a drink.
I've been drinking vodka every day for 45 years and I have certainly never found it to be habit forming.